Blog containing my rituals and practices. I follow the Norse gods, but am neither a Wiccan nor a strict reconstructionist. My focus is on the spiritual, mystical, and magickal aspects of Heathenism and forms of practice that make Heathenism valid for the modern times, and present day needs, and as a path towards enlightenment and spiritual growth.

The following are invocations for Norse gods, goddesses, and wights. Many are based on kennings from the Skaldskaparmal in the Prose Edda. Please feel free to copy and use any of these invocations on your own website or in your own rituals!

Hail Thor! Son of Odin and Jord. Father of Magni, Modi, and Thrud. Husband of Sif. Stepfather of Ullr. Ruler and owner of Mjollnir, the Girdle of Might, and Bilskirnir. Defender of Asgard and Midgard. Enemy and slayer of giants and troll-wives!

Sif

Hail Sif! Wife of Thor. Golden-haired. Mother of Ullr. Grain goddess!

Balder

Hail Balder! Son of Odin and Frigg. Husband of Nanna. Father of Forseti. Owner of Hringhorni and Draupnir. Enemy of Hodr. Hel’s companion. Most fair of gods!

Njord

Hail Njord! Husband of Skadi. Dweller in Noatun. Seafarers god. Descendant of the Vanir. Father of Freyr and Freyja. Lover of boats. Fairest of feet!

Hail Freyr! Son of Njord. Brother of Freyja. Husband of Gerd. Trusted friend of Skirnir. Descendant of the Vanir. Harvest god and wealth-giver. King of Alfheim. Blot-god of the Swedes. Possessor of Skidbladnir, and the boar known as Gullinbursti. Beli’s slayer. Enemy of Surtr. Wielder of the stag-horn. Fruitful one. Sure giver. Father of the Yngling line. Lord of the Volsi!

Hail Heimdall. Son of nine mothers. Guardian of the gods. Enemy of Loki, and recoverer of Freyja’s Brisingamen. Owner of the horse Gulltopp. Bifrost’s watchman. All-hearing one. Father of the three kindreds!

Hail Loki! Odin’s blood-kin. Son of Farbauti and Laufey. Father of Fenriswolf, and Jormungand. Comrade and table-companion of Odin and the Aesir. Thief of Brisingamen, and Idunn’s Apples. Relative of Sleipnir. Husband of Sigyn. Enemy of gods. Sif’s hair-harmer. Maker of mischief. Cunning god. Accuser and tricker of the gods. Contriver of Balder’s death!

Aegir

Hail Aegir! Husband of Ran. Ale-brewer. Gatherer of sea-gold. Father of the nine waves. Feast-friend of the Aesir and the drowned. Keeper of the great kettle!

Hail Holda! Dweller in Venusberg. Guardian of unborn children. Maker of snow. Giver of flax. Keeper of the waters of fertility. White goddess. Lady of the wild hunt. Overseer of the distaff at Mothers’ Night!

Lofn

Hail Lofn! Helper of lovers unable to wed!

Var

Hail Var! Witness to all oaths. Foe to all who break them!

Saga

Hail Saga! Benchmate of Odin. Lady of Sokkvabekk. Seer of the times. Talespinner!

Heathenism is a religion that honors the ancient Norse, Anglo-Saxon, or Germanic gods and goddesses. These are the same gods and goddesses that the Vikings and pre-Vikings worshiped. It is a religion open to anyone who feels a closeness to such gods and goddesses.

How Does One Follow Heathenism?

“The mind alone knows what is nearest the heart…. Each man is his own judge” {Havamal}

Heathenism is a very individualistic path and there are about as many ways to practice it as there are people who practice it. You will find many conflicting ideas about what Heathens believe (the only thing Heathens tend to agree on is that they worship the Norse, Anglo-Saxon, or Germanic gods and goddesses). One follows Heathen by being close in their heart, to one or more of the Norse, Saxon, or Germanic gods and goddesses.

What are Some Variations of Heathenism?

Other terms used to describe variations of, or traditions similar to Heathenism, are Asatru, Vanatru, Odinism, Theodism, Norse-Paganism, and various other more obscure traditions. Asatru is fairly much another way to say Heathenism, though some may consider it a bit more specialized in some aspects. Vanatru tends to focus more on the Vanir, the group of gods and goddesses who are more concerned with nature and fertility. Odinism tends to focus more so on Odin as the leader or head of the gods/goddesses. Theodism is a form of Heathenism which focuses on the Anglo-Saxon aspect of the gods/goddesses and it tends to have a very tribal hierarchal structure to it. People who like to label their practice as Norse-Paganism tend to take a more loose interpretation on rituals and ways of thinking about and honoring the gods/goddesses, or perhaps they prefer to relate more to the general Neo-Pagan scene than to the Heathen scene. Some Norse-Pagans tend to be a bit more into Wicca than Heathenism or like to mix both together in some sense. Even there are some people who consider themselves Norse-Wiccan, but that falls outside of the scope of what can be considered Heathenism or related to Heathenism.

How Do You Worship?

The most common ritual is called a blot. In this ritual one normally offers drinks such as mead, beer, or fruit-juice to a god or goddess. Sometimes one may instead offer other drinks such as milk, spring water, or sometimes some type of food, or any other gift. There are various days which are holy in Heathenism.

The idea is to build a bond of friendship between the gods and goddesses and the worshiper. That is the form of relationship one seeks within Heathenism with their deities. Not that of bowing down or lessening oneself like in many other religions. A common important theme in Heathenism is that of giving and being given in return. Heathenism puts strong importance on balance and fairness in one’s dealings. Always being truthful is very important. And giving back in equalness to what another gives to us.

Another form of ritual is called a Sumbel. This is more free form and open-ended. This is a group-only ritual in which one passes a drinking horn of fruit juice around and each person gets to toast to whichever deity they want. Also sometimes in this one makes a vow to perform some action, or toasts to an ancestor or person they hold in high regard (living or dead).

Do You Believe in Magick?

Many Heathens practice a related form of magick. There are two common systems. The Heathen cosmology is very magickal in nature. Some people practice both of these magickal systems. Some people just one. Even some people practice no magick at all.

One is based on the writing, carving, and chanting of special magickal symbols called runes. Runes are very potent. Each rune has a name that can be chanted in a special way called Galdoring. Also traditionally one would carve the symbol itself into wood. Nowadays people tend to write them with other materials and techniques as well. Odin is the god in charge of this magickal system.

The other magickal system is very shamanistic in nature. It is called Seidh. It is maybe not as popular as the runic magickal system since it is not as easy to actually practice. It involves trances and inner journey work. Sometimes there are tantric-like sexual practices. Freya is the goddess in charge of this magickal system.

Please Tell About Your Gods/Goddesses

There are many gods and goddess in Heathenism. Many have slightly different variations of their names based upon the exact culture and time period one is connecting to. Some deities have a lot of nicknames and aliases. Here are some of the deities of the Heathen religion.

Odin/Óðinn/Woðanaz/Woden/Wodan/Wuotan/Wodans

Odin is Allfather. He was the first god–the creator of man and all the nine worlds. He is always seeking knowledge and magickal powers. He is the one who discovered the runes when he hung himself from the world tree, Yggdrasil, for nine days and nine nights. He has one eye, as he sacrificed one of his eyes to take a drink from the well of Mimir (thus increasing his knowledge). He has two ravens and two wolves as pets. The two ravens Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) fly forth each day to gather information about happenings in all the nine worlds. He keeps half those who have died in battle in his hall, Valhalla. He tends to like to stir up battle amongst men so he can receive more warriors to his abode. He is a master of disguise and loves to travel the nine worlds pretending to not be himself. He probably has more aliases and nicknames then any other deity. He loves to seduce women even though he is married to Frigga. His favorite color is blue. Wednesdays are sacred to him.

Thor/Thórr/Thunor/Donar/Thunars/Thunaraz

Thor is a big well-muscled fellow with red hair and beard. He is the protector of the gods and men from the frost giants (forces of destruction). He has a quick temper, but a big heart. He has a powerful weapon called Mjollnir (Thor’s Hammer). Many Heathens wear a representation of this hammer around their neck as protective pendant. Thor’s Hammer is a magickal tool used for blessing and protection. Whenever Thor throws his hammer it comes back to him (like a boomerang). The Thor’s Hammer represents phallic might. It has potent fertility power. Thor is always going off to the east to fight the giants. He has a flying wagon pulled by two goats. His wife is Sif. His favorite color is red. Thursdays are sacred to him.

Freya/Freyja/Freo/Frawi/Fraujon

Freya is the most magickally oriented goddess! She is very beautiful and well sought after by many beings but she remains single. It is said she once had a mate who vanished. She has many lovers in all the nine worlds. She has a magickal falcon cloak that allows her to fly through all the nine worlds. She practices a powerful form of magick called seidh. This is a type of sexual shamanism. She comes from the very wealthy Vanir side of things. The gods are divided between the Aesir and Vanir groups. Long time ago both sides fought a war, but later on settled and formed a truce. Now they act as one group. Freya has a very firie type of energy. Fire and gold were associated together to the ancient Norse. She has a magickal necklace called Brisingamen. Her tears turn to amber. Gold is her favorite color. Fridays are sacred to her.

Frey/Freyr/Frea/Fro/Frauja/Fraujaz/Fro Ing

Frey is ancestral King of Sweden. He is the brother of Freya. He has very potent male sexual might and is often depicted with a constant erection. This shows his intense fertile powers. As such he is very connected to material abundance. He is the god of peace and plenty. Though also a good warrior when the need arises. King of the Light Alfs (elves). He is very nature oriented, as are all the Vanir. His sacred animal is the boar and he has a golden one as pet, called Gullinbursti.

Tyr/Tiw/Ziu/Teiws/Tiwaz

The god of justice, order, structure. He is a warrior and always fights with honor. He sacrificed one hand in order to bind the dangerous wolf, Fenrir. So he has only a stump where one of his hands was. Some say he used to be the sky father before Odin took over. Tuesdays are sacred to him.

Idun/Iðunn

She is the keeper of the golden apples of youth that keep the gods from aging. She is connected to health and long life. Once she was kidnaped and all the gods aged and got very weak til she was recovered.

Loki

Few worship Loki (except maybe on April Fools Day, or when worshiping Odin, since Odin swore to only accept an offering if Loki get’s a share as well). He is the god of disorder, chaos, and playing tricks on people. He is always creating bad situations for the gods. But he is always also getting them out of the bad situations. He helps create change and growth by creating challenge, so he is useful despite his negative aspects. He is always somewhat of a double agent and unpredictable and likes to play both sides against each other. Later on he turned actually evil, but was more of a mischief maker earlier. It was after he arranged to have Balder killed that he turned to the “dark side”. The mistletoe is sacred to him.

Balder

A god loved by all for his peacefulness and generally lovableness. He is the most handsome of all the male gods. His mother Frigga made all creatures swear an oath that they would never cause him harm (except she forgot the mistletoe). Later on Loki set Hodur (a minor blind god) up to throw a mistletoe dart at him. All the gods had been having sport of the fact that nothing could harm Balder and thus would spend all day tossing stuff at him and watching it bounce harmlessly off of him. Anyways the dart killed Balder instantly. They tried to fetch him from out of Hel (land of the dead, peaceful place of rest, nothing like the Christian Hell with two Ls) but Hel (the goddess in charge of Hel) would not release him. There he shall remain til after Ragarak. His favorite color is white.

Frigga/Frigg/Fricg/Frige/Frija/Frijjo

Wife to Odin, and mother to Balder. She knows all things but does not speak of them. She is very much connected to all things maternal and to motherly duties. The perfect wife type.

I’d Like to Learn More!

A good place to start is to read as many books on Heathenism and the Norse gods and goddesses as possible. The most important text of all are the Eddas (both poetic and prose form). Also any books that tell about the story of the gods are great to read. Heathenism is a religion that requires much pondering and deciding what makes sense to you. It’s not a packaged type religion like most where you are told what you can and can’t do and everything is spelled out for you. It’s a religion for thinkers and individualists! Of course this is not to say that there are not plenty of groups out there with their own (very strongly held) ideas about what Heathenism is, as there are plenty! But the best place is to start on your own. Once you have decided for yourself what Heathenism means to you then you can search for a group of like-minded people if it’s your desire to be part of a group! Many Heathenism practice alone. Some get together at times with other close Heathen friends to celebrate.

Here are lots of links to explore to learn more. These are best explored in the order given:

Book: Essential Asatru – This is the best book to get for anyone new to Heathenism. It gives a very well researched, accurate, fair and balanced perspective on things.

Book: True Magick – Though this book does not talk about Heathenism or very much about magick related to it, it is am important book to read to understand the basic concepts of magick and things related to the modern Neo-Pagan scene.

Book: Illusion – This is not a book about Heathenism, or even about Paganism. This is a book that helps one to come to understand how to _think in a spiritual way_ and open ones mind in a way that is needed for properly understanding Heathen, Pagan, and magick. This book is written in story form.

Book: Futhark – This is the first book to start with for learning the runes and the magickal systems related to them. First before starting to study the runes though gain a complete knowledge of the gods and goddesses and Norse cosmology and understand wyrd.

Book: Runelore – This is the second book to get to learn about the runes.

Meta

Blogroll

A Heathen's Path
– His getting started entries are very good heart felt information about practicing Heathenism. Very nice easy down to earth approach to the practice. Recommended.

Amarina's Journey
– An interesting journal about a mystical Norse spiritual journey. Recommended. Contains adult content. Is connected to Freyja’s path. She also made my rune graphics I use on my blog and websites.

Essential Asatru
– This is the best book to get for anyone new to Heathenism. It gives a very well researched, accurate, fair and balanced perspective on things. Highly recommended.

Futhark
– This is the first book to start with for learning the runes and the magickal systems related to them. First before starting to study the runes though gain a complete knowledge of the gods and goddesses and Norse cosmology and understand wyrd.

Ingeborg's Norse Heathen Pages
– This is a mirror site of my friend Ingeborg’s old webpage on Heathenism. It has not been updated in a long time. She was the one who taught me Heathenism way back in time. She is extremely knowledgable on the subject.

Nine Worlds Travel Guide
– Fancinating modern lore on the nine worlds derived from present day shaman’s traveling there. It has lots of details and includes places, things, and beings of all the various worlds and places. Very recommended.

Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner
– Once you are already practicing Heathenism and know it fairly well, this is a must read book. It is all about making your practice more spiritually focused. Ignore the Loki and giant stuff in it.

Our Troth Book 1
– Very in depth well research, HUGE, two set of books. Once you get past the beginner stage you should tackle reading these. Between the both of them they are close to 1000 pages, so not for the beginner anyways.

Our Troth Book 2
– This is the second book of Our Troth. Just as massively filled with information as the first one.